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Wasp Star (Apple Venus, Pt. 2) - XTC
  • Band Name: XTC
  • Record Label: TVT
  • Release Date: May 23, 2000
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Sonicnet
    100
    Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) finds Partridge and Moulding at the top of their game, making the collection a fitting match for past XTC triumphs...
  2. Ink Blot Magazine
    90
    "The Wheel and the Maypole" might be the greatest song the band has ever recorded...
  3. Spin
    90
    XTC proudly displays its roots while subsuming them into a larger sound, one that is wholly their own.
  4. Wall of Sound
    81
    Wasp Star adheres to the bouncy melodicism and skewed humor that's been XTC's stock in trade for 25 years.
  5. Pitchfork
    80
    It's a great bunch of songs, and it solidifies the notion that XTC are back from the wilderness and ready to rock the show.
  6. Billboard
    80
    Nine of the album's dozen songs were written by Partridge, and each unfolds like an act of a melodious Shakespearean play -- lyrics drenched in imagery and metaphor, plots twisting through the experience of love and betrayal.
  7. CDNow
    80
    Dense with upbeat, guitar-based songs, Wasp Star brings to mind the best of mid-'60s pop (think the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Kinks).
  8. Salon.com
    80
    A return to the gorgeously crisp electric pop Partridge has been writing for more than 20 years.
  9. The A.V. Club
    80
    One of the most unassuming, instantly pleasing efforts of XTC's career.
  10. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    This is a surprisingly decent album, as good as anything they've ever made.
  11. Nude As The News
    70
    Its boisterous, melodic rock is invigorating to hear from a storm-weathered, 24-year old band.
  12. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    70
    A romp as vigorous as any since 1982's English Settlement.
  13. All Music Guide
    60
    This record is really nothing more than a collection of sharp, witty, well-constructed pop songs.
  14. Q Magazine
    60
    They make often wistful, often wry, but always intelligent pop.
  15. Rolling Stone
    60
    These twelve songs are streamlined, uncluttered miniatures.
  16. Magnet
    40
    The balance of the album is crammed to capacity with placeholders for more fully developed ideas.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. HappyM.
    10
    One of XTC's best!
  2. WillyP
    10
    Partridge is the rare artist whose songwriting abilities continue to grow into middle age.
  3. TravisC.
    8
    While more pedestrian by XTC's standards, it's still a stand out among the current crop of clone-rockers dominating the sales charts and radio stations nowadays. The absence of long time lead guitarist and overall utility man Dave Gregory stands out on a few tracks, most notably on "Stupidly Happy" and "We're All Light", however the brilliance of Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding helps shape another album full of top calibre songwriting. As usual, there are numerous stand out tracks, but "My Brown Guitar" probably ranks among XTC's all-time best.… Full Review »
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